n

n

nIt was not only Olivia who was taken aback by what Cassidy just said - Charles also did not see that coming.

nHe knew her for being so kind that she's angelic - in and out, and she doesn't really make fun of others out of malice. But perhaps, there are just some things that she can't deal with using the same attitude. He was only mostly aware of her condition at work before, but he didn't have a good grasp of what was truly going on inside her own home.

nNevertheless, Cassidy is one who acts with a reason. Whether it is mainly driven by emotions or not, there has to be a strong enough cause to draw out such a strong reaction from her.

n

"How long were you here, by the way?

" Cassidy inquired before going around the unmoving brunette and standing right in front of her.

n

"H-Huh...? Ummm... H-Half an hour... I think,

" Olivia answered reluctantly, confusion written over her expression.

n

"Say, is half an hour enough?

"

n

"W-What?

"

n

"Was half an hour enough to make you realize how harsh the world could be? Knowing you two, you probably haven't even spent an hour of suffering before. Maybe, you should've taken more time.

"

n

"Y-You... A-Are you saying that we should suffer like this longer-

"

n

"Not really. I sure don't hope that you'd die just like that. It gotta be a deathless suffering.

"

nOlivia doesn't know if Cassidy is mocking them or looking out for them. It can be both. There's just this underlying message in her way of phrasing that out - one that made her think that the main reason why she wanted them to experience all these bad things was so that they would learn from them.

nThat they would change because of them, perhaps.

nNow that Olivia thought about it, she wasn't sure herself how she ended up having that impression. After all, Cassidy is certainly not holding back in messing around with them despite her possible intentions.

n

"Hey there, Irene~! Wakie, wakie...!

" the redhead called with a sing-song voice as she kneeled down before the brunette and poked her head playfully.

n

"Come on now. Don't hog the floor all to yourself. I thought you're only interested in human guys.

"

n

"Stop that...!

" the blonde cut in, reacting appalled when she proceeded to pinch sister's cheeks this time.

n

"Can't you see that she's in no condition-

"

n

"How can I? She's a drama queen, right? She could just be faking it again.

"

n

"Why, you...! She can't possibly be faking it at this rate-

"

n

"You can say what you want, Ofelia. But I don't give free rides for lousy actresses. If she ends up to be conscious all along, she can move her ass. If she's not, then I'll carry her. I'm just checking.

"

nOlivia is stunned by this. It turned out that Cassidy wasn't acting like this out of mere malice. She did want to help. However, she can still sense a perturbing smell of mischief from her. Getting her aid will certainly be not simple.

n

"And I think that we should do, Ma'am Cassidy...

" Charles then chimed in from behind them all of the sudden, looking wary enough to alarm them.

n

"I'm hearing footsteps. Seemed like we didn't manage to knock most of them out and buy enough time. If not, they could probably move again.

"

n

"Already? This is troubling. We can't just run by ourselves this time...

" Cassidy sighed in exhaustion before looking back at Irish and getting ready once more.

n

"I'll carry this pathetic piece of **. You take the firearm of the man and cover for us, Charlie. Ofelia can be useful too if she can use a gun-

"

n

"N-no... I-I can't...

" Olivia stuttered in surprise, not expecting her rapid decision-making.

n

"Then, you're useless. Thank you for that.

"

nSarcasm may be Cassidy's new surname.

nThough she kept roasting both her and her sister, Olivia just followed everything she said and began running with them after everything was set.

nAs if their pitiful conditions aren't distressing enough, Cassidy just really had to keep rubbing their sorry asses on their faces. She has really gotten sharp-tongued. For the whole time she did so, they were hastening out of there and heading all the way to the second floor of the bar.

nLike what was planned, Cassidy carried Irish on her back while Charles stayed on guard and protected them. Olivia was in between the two of them, also observing the coast and checking on her sister from time to time.

n

"Gosh, she's heavy! Is she secretly a pig or something...?!

" Cassidy complained despite her splendid efforts to bring Irish with them.

n

"I flipped over bossman before, and she's nearly as heavy!

"

n'Flip over? Just what were you two doing?' was all Olivia and Charles could think of in complete sync, unsure of how to react to that.

n

"Hey, wait...! Isn't that...?!

"

nSpeaking of the devil, Cassidy suddenly spotted Adrian entering the bar along with two other figures she couldn't quite make out. The three of them then stepped on their brakes and remained at the second floor terrace, waiting for them to walk further inside and notice their presence up there.

n

"Thank goodness... So, those footsteps only belong to them after all,

" Charles mused out loud with a sigh of relief.

nOr at least, that's what he thought.

nWithout any warning, more of their pursuers began barging inside the bar all of the sudden - coming in just right after Adrian and others did. This group most probably took a different route, which was why they missed each other when they entered. While their sudden arrival was confounding enough, the way they held up their weapons and began shooting threw them into panic.

nAlmost instantly, another round of firing breaks out.

nWhile Adrian takes cover behind the bar counter, Ray hides under a table and Asher goes for the seat beside him. They are outnumbered - time and again. At this kind of situation, they need some kind of strategy instead of a mindless retaliation to turn over the table.

n

"Put your hands up and surrender! We're not here for you. So, you're better off doing what we say,

" ordered one of their opponents while the rest positioned themselves to get a better shooting range.

nAdrian takes this moment to look around his surroundings. He is not just about to relent and let them take his wife or anyone's life here for that matter.

nThough his top priority is to escape this establishment along with Ray and Asher, he is still not sure where Cassidy and Charles are. Pretending to surrender is not a good idea since their enemies are already as unpredictable as they are.

nWhile having that train of thoughts in mind, Adrian suddenly caught sight of two certain reflections on the wine bottles at the shelf in front of him.

n'Huh...? Charles...?!'

nOne of them turns out to be the reflection of his secretary at the second floor terrace. He is somewhere up there that only he can see - a blindspot for their opponents. The other reflection is a gunman who is aiming his weapon straight in his direction. If he stands up now, he might get a perfect blow on his head.

nIt appears like Charles can see everything from his current position as well. With that, Adrian watches him motion something to the gunman who's right behind him.

nThese two have been through many things together for a long time. Then again, he is with him more often than his own family. This kind of predicament also happens in their ventures sometimes - very rarely, though.

nEven then, they knew each other enough to have some kind of telepathic agreement. They have their own nonverbal language that only they knew how to decipher. Words are not always necessary in their relationship. Some hand gestures and facial expressions are more than adequate.

nThey have trust and perhaps, a little bit of arrogance in what they're capable of.

n'Oh, so you want me to fire after you made your shot, huh...' Adrian mused with a smirk after understanding what Charles had been trying to tell him through his hand signals.

n'Well, not like I'm not going to fire anyway. Thanks for the back-up.'

nWith that, their plan commenced.

nAs Charles began showering bullets all over the enemies from the upper floor, providing enough distraction for his comrades below, Adrian stayed on his seat and lifted his firearm up before shooting at the gunman behind him. Without even looking, he aimed at the proper angle and knocked him out using only one shot.

nBoth Ray and Asher also used the distraction to retaliate at last. After seeing Charles providing them back-up from the second floor, they went ahead and ran out of their hiding spots to join the clamor.

nFortunately, the rifle that Charles took from the man earlier was still loaded with lots of ammunition.

n'But then, doesn't that mean that he hasn't been pursuing Ma'am Cassidy along with the others...?' he then suddenly found himself wondering while he continued to fire bullets.

n'If that's the case, why would he show up in the bar first if everyone else already knew where Ma'am Cassidy was? Was he really going to take Ma'am Olivia and Ma'am Irish hostage? Why did he have to if he could just ambush us, though? He was also the only one here. What's his intention?'

nFor some reason, Charles was starting to get a feeling that the gunman earlier had another intention towards Olivia and Irish.

n